Just another regular dumbphone. Emphasis on dumb.

First off I just want to say, I do NOT like this phone, nor do i recommend it. I mean seriously, it uses a proprietary connection for charging and connecting headphones. ‘Nuff said.  I mean what kind of music phone doesn’t have a 3.5″ plug? How can you advertise it as a music phone if you can’t even use a decent headphone. And come on people, no mini USB or micro USB for connectivity? My old Motorola PEBL from 2+ years ago had that. But don’t stop there, there’s still more crappiness leaking from the phone, even as a regular phone and NOT as a music phone which the phone is advertised to be.

Samsung Beat's external Clock

You know how most people, especially those who don’t wear watches, uses their phone to check the time? Well, this phone can’t do that. Technologically it can, but usability wise, it can not. Why? Because it  uses an OLED (I think, it’s one of those screens that blurs when you shake it, like old CRT monitors). Although that made be great in itself, allowing the screen to have vibrant colors, the usability design of the phone ruins it. To make the screen turn on to check the time or the current playing song, you have to hold a button. Holding a button not only takes longer but can cause you to launch a program or do some unwanted action. This makes it almost impossible to check the time without either flipping the phone open or launching something.

The only good thing that comes out of the colored OLED screen is that you can use it as a mirror for self portrait because it can display what the camera is seeing. But the fact that its FRICKING hard to do something so simple like check time on the outside is a huge turn off. It almost made me wished that it had a regular old monochrome screen that doesn’t turn off.

The inside software is actually OK. it’s like any dumbphone so there isn’t much to say. The phone is great in that it starts up fast. Like less than 3 second probably. The graphics and icons are fine and understandable. I do have to say that the number graphic when typing in a number is terrible. It’s very pixelated and not anti-aliased. But it is clear in that it’s big and black and white, literally.

The back of the Samsung Beat

On the hardware side, the phone has a pretty nice design. It’s very small and pocketable. It is to note that the outside IS glossy so it’s a fingerprint magnet. I kinda like the green accents around as it makes it look more playful in a way. You have a music controller which is ok. It’s pretty cool how they added a shuffle button in there, just in case you want to spice things up.

On the inside, is your regular buttons pad. I do like the fact that it gives you a hard customizable shortcut key, the square icon thing on the keyboard, that you can set to launch anything you want. But what I didn’t like is the “i” on the opposite side of it. I think it’s quite useless and would be better off used as a messaging key. The buttons feel pretty tactile and presses down nicely. Although, the first phone I checked out had a bad buttons pad that doesn’t press down, so you might want to check on that.

The inside of the Samsung Beat

Now I guess its great and all that the phone has an micro SD card slot; on the outside too so you can get easy access. But that’s probably the only good thing about having the slot. Do note that it ONLY accepts regular micro SD and not SDHC. Now if you put an SD micro in there you would think everything would be fine and dandy, but no, you have to restart the phone for it to redetect. Furthermore, to access the card is quite hard. In fact I still don’t know how to save pictures to the SD micro directly.

Speaking of pictures, the camera on the phone is your usual phone camera. Usable, but don’t expect to create masterpieces with it. Though it does take quite a big picture, even though it may not be pretty.

Big, but not pretty. *click*

Now for all you hackers out there, don’t even bother to try hacking the Samsung Beat. It’s pretty… well lets just say there’s no hack other than basic java app loading. After all remember, there is no usb port,  so even if you want to try hacking the beat, you’re going to need to find some proprietary cable. Maybe telnet via bt, though I don’t know if that’s possible on this phone.

The proprietary port on the Samsung Beat. Really Samsung??

Overall, I do NOT like this phone. I’d rather stay with my old old motorola PEBL with its hackable motorola firmware and simple external screen. Although it maybe great to have an SD card for your music, do keep in mind it has to be regular micro SD which means only 2gb of storage. And if you’re going to use this as a music player, which you probably shouldn’t unless you’re desperate, remember, there is no regular 3.5″ port to plug in some good headphones. You’ll be stuck with their proprietary one.

I give this a 3/10.

Hacking WEP is easy, do not use it

*disclaimer: I do not condone hacking other people’s wireless network. This was done for educational purpose.

This article is provided for informational purposes only. [byvolce] and its affiliates accept no liability for providing this information. Please only use to test configurations on your own equipment. Accessing WIFI networks that do not belong to you is ILLEGAL.  -from thew0rd (though it applies to this post)

If you’re nerdy like me, you have probably seen articles on WEP hacking and how to do so. It may seem daunting when you first look at it (I mean all those scripts to type into terminal, come on!), but I can honestly say that it is really weak and does not require a genius or a nerd, or even a grown up really, to hack into a WEP protected router. All you need is to be able to follow direction. You probably won’t even need perseverance.

How easy is it? Broken on the first try in less than an hour by a high school student. You don’t even need fancy tools or to waste money. All you need is a computer with wifi.

What how????!

Backtrack and the first search result on google will do the rest (the 3rd result for the written instructions).

Still not scared enough? Well the next step one could do is then hack into the router system of the unsuspecting network. This is made even easier by the fact that these days dsl and cable companies gives you a router (most likely 2wire) as part of the modem. If you’re lucky a quick google search for the default router system password will allow you to get in. This will allow you to do a number of things

• Block internet from the router owner.
• Lock them out of their own router.
• Steal some information.
• Intercept packets (of information(like credit cards)), if you’re savvy enough (I’m not, don’t worry).
• Profit!

Remember, not only is this illegal, but also against morality . How would you feel if some one you don’t know is on your network? For all you know they can be stealing your credit card this second.

Now what can you do about this?

Well the first and most obvious is to change your password encryption to something more secure like WPA, WPA PSK, WPA2 and etc. instead of the incredibly outdated WEP. Basically, if it’s WPA it’s going to be more secure. of course like anything, it can still be hacked. But at least you will have some peace of mind knowing that high schoolers can’t hack into it, as easily (have not tried). Though there is some limitations, if you have a computer running Win98 or some kind of old computer, it won’t have native WPA support. Though it is still possible via extensive hacks.

Disable SSID broadcasting. This will hide your network name from (some/most) network finder thus making your network less of a target. You can still get into your network by entering the SSID (the network name) manually.

Use MAC address filtering. MAC address are basically like the license plate of your car (Though it’s harder to change and if I may recall right, illegal to change). This option will stop any wifi user without an allowed MAC address to access the network. It’s harder to maintain, especially because you will have to enter all of your devices’ MAC address.

Due to the diverse nature of routers, I can’t offer you specific tutorials on how to do so on your router. Though I may be able to help if you ask. There’s probably still many more ways to thwart hackers, but these are probably the easiest one for the casual network owner.

And of course if you can’t get in to your router already, remember, there’s always that little hardware reset switch that will reset all the passwords so you can get back in

Share your thoughts below

PortaPro's little brother

Although I love my in ear Skullcandy Ink’d Smokin Buds, they are quite a fragile thing. Almost everyone I know that has bought them has bought more than one pair because they had broken their first pair. After about one and a half year of using it almost everyday, mine finally broke. So as I was in the market to get some new buds, I decided to get a portable headphone instead of an iem (in-ear monitor, eg. smokin buds). My choice was the Koss SportaPro portable headphones. It retails at $30, but can be easily bought for around $20.

*Gasp* Koss

If you didn’t know, Koss is a great manufacturer of headphones. If you know what you’re looking for. For most people Koss seems like some cheap brand from walmart or the like. Not so, they have been in the business for quite some time (read 55 years). But their history is just the beginning. Koss is the only audio company to give their product a lifetime warranty. This is one of the many reasons to go with a Koss.

Koss SportaPro Lifetime Warranty

Koss SportaPro is the little brother of the legendary PortaPro. Although PortaPro was made almost 20 years ago, many audio enthusiast still claims them as their number one. It is often compared with the newer Sennheiser PX-100. For those of you that read CNET reviews, Koss PortaPro is in the best 5 headphones list. Koss PortaPro retails at about $50, while the SportaPro retails at $30. The reason they are brothers is that they both have the same driver. Which basically they have the same “heart”. They both also contain this feature that Koss calls “Comfort Zone”. Comfort Zone allows  the pressure from wearing headphones to be distributed above the ears also. Although it sounds gimmicky, it does work. The SportaPro is one of the most comfortable headphones i have ever used.

Koss SportaPro

Features

Although they have the same heart, they are still quite different. Most people says that the PortaPro still has a better sound. Apparently this has to do with the housing of the cans (cans is a slang word meaning headphones used by audio enthusiast). The SportaPro in my opinion also have a cheaper look. Although the PortaPro does look more quirky (read unique).

Behind or over! (note: By iPhone it means the unrecessed one)

The Pros about getting a SportaPro (no pun intended) is that it was designed more for the street. The band that normally goes around the top of your head can be tilted back to go behind your head (not behind your ears). This allows the cans to accommodate for hat users and the like. Although when using it this way in actual street wear, it does feel like the headphones is gonna fall of. But when you are stationary, it works fine. In fact I like using it this way than on top of your head. When I walk with it, I prefer putting it 3/4th of the way. This allows the security of putting on top and the comfort of putting it behind the head.

Another difference is that, the SportaPro does not have settings for the Comfort Zone. On the PortaPro, the user can adjust the pressure in 3 settings. But it still works and is comfortable. Though it is not as comfortable as iem where you feel like you’re not wearing anything at all. It can be a bid uncomfortable sometimes if you wear glasses. But you can easily fix that by re-adjusting the headphone.

Quite small eh?

Form factor

The SportaPro is actually quite small. Way smaller than I had imagine. But it does open up to fit my head. But if you have a big head, you might want to try it first before buying one. Because it is a portable headpone, the SportaPro can collapse into a ball. Although the ball is quite small, I would prefer it to collaps into something flater, like the PX-100, so that it is more pocketable.

What's in the Koss SportaPro's packaging

For traveling, the SportaPro also includes a nice faux leather case. Unlike usual freebies, I think it is a really good case. It uses a pretty thick leather and  a nice string to open and close it. It has a pretty nice build quality and doesn’t seem like it is going to break easily. It feels like a tough case, and adds class to the otherwise cheap looking headphone. But I do have to say that the mouth/opening of te case can be bigger. In my experience you have to force the can into it. But once in there, there is plenty of room. For that reason, I don’t actually use it to carry the SportaPro, Instead I use it to carry my camera. But I do recommend putting the headphone in some kind of case. The two hook that keeps the SportaPro in a ball can be easily unhook without a case.

Koss SportaPro's ball hook

The cord of the phones are just long enough to reach the mp3 player in your pocket and the headphone on your head. Well, there is a wee bit left over for me. But  it’s still a wee bit too short for my taste. But it is fine and not a deal breaker. The cord does not feel sticky and is not soft touch plastic, unlike the skullcandy’s. The cord is also not binded into one tube which, if I’m not mistaken, is good because it seperates the two wire from getting in contact with each other. The little plastic that seperates the two cord near the headphone feels weak and cheap though. It’s just a small box, similar to what you would find on a free airplane headphone. Very different than the long and big seperator found on skullcandies.

At the end of the cord is a short, straight tip, gold plated, 3.5mm jack. It comes with a gold plated size converter too. By gold plated I mean it looks gold plated. I don’t actually know if it is though.

Koss SportaPro's Jack

The sound quality is great. Because it is an open headphone (there are holes on the driver housing ) It sounds like you’re listening to a speaker. In other word, it has a good soundstage. The downside to open headphones is that, in a quiet room, people may hear your music. And unlike iem, it does not isolate outside noise. This is good for me and commuters alike because it allows you to hear traffic (and listen to people’s conversation ). The headphones are rated as 60ohms. Although this is sometimes thought to be a bad thing because it means latency, it actually helps the headphone. It makes the bass sound great. This does mean that you have to pump more volume from your audio source though.

Mods

If you are a purist and think the SportaPro has too much bass, there are many mods you can do. Because many audio enthusiast like Koss, you can easily scour the web for mods. Simple ones to look out for is the quarter mod. The quarter mod is basically just cutting a hole the size of a quarter on the Styrofoam to allow high noise to pass through clearer. You can also look into Kramer mod if you feel like getting down and dirty. The Kramer mod is done by drilling specific holes in the housing of the driver. I am not sure if this ruins the lifetime warranty though. I’ve heard both stories where they will and won’t replace it.

Conclusion

Koss SportaPro's behind the head mode

All in all, I think this is a great headphone. It’s light, cheap and sounds great. I give it 8/10 stars. And if you haven’t learn anything from this post, learn that not all Koss users are cheap people who don’t care what their music sounds like. They just don’t care what they look like.

P.S

For an even cheaper great headphone made by Koss, check out the KSC-75. If you ask anyone on the audio enthusiast forum Head-fi about sub $20 cheap headphones, basically all the replies will be the same. KSC-75. And if that doesn’t convince you, it has a friggin titanium driver.

Gallery

Synaptic Touchpad

Did you know most, if not all, (PC) laptop on the market with a Touchpad has the ability to launch program, scroll, and manipulate windows like minimize and maximize? It’s not really a Touchpad hack per se because it actually comes with your laptop. This is true because most laptop these days uses a Synaptics Touchpad. Even if your laptop doesn’t have those special scroller marking, your laptop’s Touchpad can still scroll! On top of that you can also play the drum, theremin and more on your Touchpad. All this is just hidden under the control panel.

Control Panel > Mouse

How?!

All you have to do is open up “control panel“, and click “mouse“. If you don’t see the “mouse” icon, click “Printers and Other Hardware” then click “mouse“. From there select “Device Settings” in the tab and click “settings“. Then you will see a tree structure menu on the left where you can add a lot more functionality to your regular ol’ touchpad.

It is a very easy and simple to use software. All the settings are on the left tree menu. And all the settings and features are explain clearly on the text area to the left bottom of it.

Device Settings > Settings

Tap Zones

One of the coolest one is “Tap Zones” which is under “Tapping”. Tap Zones allow you to make the corners of your touchpad into a hot key. Just like “Toshiba Satellite A100″’s touchpad, It can do things like launch a program, do keyboard macro, simulate mouse key, launch and navigate the internet, control your media player and more. You can also resize the “zones” to your need.

I currently set mine, in clockwise order, to launch photoshop, minimize and maximize window, and to launch pidgin.

Touch Zone on Synpatics Touchpad

Scrolling Using Your Touchpad

While newer laptop these days have a special marking/space to scroll on its Touchpad, the truth is any synaptics touchpad can scroll on both the x and y axis. The settings are under “Virtual Scrolling“. Under there you can find “Long Distance Scrolling” which has some nifty option aside from your basic scrolling. “coasting” allows you to do iPhone like scrolling on your computer by using the swipe gesture. It will continue scrolling until you tap the mouse pad again. It is quite useful when navigating a long page/word document on such a small Touchpad. The second option is EdgeMotion which allows you to keep scrolling even when you reach the edge of your touchpad by leaving your finger there.

You can also set the size of your scrolling area and whether to scroll the item under the pointer or on selected item. Once you’re done setting it up, you can try it out in a giant maze. You can get there by pressing “Virtual Scrolling” and pressing the Practice button.

Scrolling on any Laptop Touchpad. Yay!

Touchpad’s Sensitivity

One other thing to note is the “Sensitivity” menu. From there you can use the “PalmCheck” feature that will stop you from accidently moving your mouse while using your laptop’s keyboard. And you can also change the “Touch Sensitivity” that allow you to adjust how much pressure on the touchpad is needed before the cursor moves.

While there are more settings and feature available, these are the ones I think are worth noting. Other features include “Pointer Motion” where you can manipulate your touchpad (ie. move in a straight line, slow-mo, etc.) editing additional mouse button if available and more.

More Awesomeness

If you would to play more with your Touchpad, Synaptics has a few program that you can download to play with your new found touchpad feature. This includes being able to drum on your touchpad, play Simon Says, play on a theremin, and sketching on it.

The Giant Synaptics Maze

Troubleshooting

If you can’t find any of this, or it’s not working, try downloading a new driver from your vendor. If that still doesn’t work, you can try to get a generic driver from Synaptics. Although there is a warning that says it might stop some of your Touchpad’s special feature from working. Although in my experience, it works fine and dandy.

If you are like me and on an Acer laptop where your scrolling does not seem to work (especially in Firefox), all you have to do is download a new driver either on the Acer’s website or get a generic driver from Synaptics.

More!

Still want more info? Try visiting DesignLine and Synaptics’ support section.

byVolce the online portfolio of Jonathan Solichin

It has been a cool 2008, and it’s now time to join 2009 and all it has to offer. My resolution this year is to “Carpe Diem” or seize the day. No matter how cliche it is, I think it is a great goal. A big one indeed, but as I came to realize, most of the things we regret is the things we didn’t do. Few things we regret because it was done. And also, with this new beginning I decided to revamp my parent domain (byvolce.com) and actually make a portfolio instead of a bunch of links that it currently is. I hope you like it.

I decided to experiment with a yellow black and white theme. It is said that those are the most contrasting colors. Well yellow and black anyway. I threw a white in the mix as not to blind your eyes out too much, add more variation and to try and keep it from not looking like a caution sign. After all who wants people to think that your website is dangerous? No, we want people to think our site is worth noticing. On another note, one of my favorite website also has the color palette. He is a great inspiration.

Now with all the web 2.0 craze and fancy effect these days, I decided to fall under peer pressure and try to implement it on my portfolio. This is my first site involving jQuery and ajax. It is also my first developer project, as I had created the engine behind it myself. But I didn’t completely build it from the ground up. As I said, I used the jquery and some of its plugin. It was a challenge to learn all these new things at once, but it was great.

Fancybox on byVolce

Currently the portfolio works like this on the back end.

1. Login
2. Upload  file
3. Crop and generate a thumbnail
4. server saves it in a predetermined and automated directory

On the front end it goes some thing like this.

1. User clicks a link generated by scanning a directory list (done by PHP)
2. The PHP then calls for jquery which pulls out another page
3. The 2nd page uses PHP to scan the dir of the selected dir
4. Then a user can click an image and zoom in on it using jquery
5. Rinse and Repeat

The Login screen of byVolce

The site currently uses the jQuery with ajaxify (for ajax loading),  fancybox (for the lightbox), and jCrop (for the back end cropping). Much of the tutorial used on this portfolio can be found at Nettuts. Tutorials include

• Scanning folder with PHP
• How to load in and animate content with jQuery (later replaced with ajaxify)

Now enough of this technical mumbo jumbo. Time for you to check it out for yourself! Comments are appreciated as always. And what’s your new year resolution?

How to create a 3d styled graphic in Photoshop

In the season of giving, I would like to share with you this Photoshop tutorial I made. I hope you have a Happy Holiday!

A while ago I saw a cool illustration made by Adam Woodhouse and I was inspired to take a crack at something similar. I hope the tutorial will teach you to mimick the 3d style using only photoshop. This will be especially useful for people who don’t have a special 3d program. We will be using a lot of clipping mask and creativity.

Step 1

First we need to create a new document. I started with 600px by 450px at 150 dpi. The size doesn’t really matter because if you go out of bounds we can use Reveal All later (Image > Reveal All). Let’s start with a gray background (#5C5C5C) followed by a white radial gradient with 50% opacity.

The base

Step 2

Now let’s create an abstract shape to stylized. Create a new layer and rename it “shape 1″ for future references. If you can’t think of anything, you can try to inspire yourself by checking out the graffiti section at dafont.

I’ll create it using the Polygonal Lasso tool (L) for simplicity but you can use the pen tool (P) for more control and styling. After creating the selection, fill it with white (Alt+Backspace with white as your foreground color).

The A

Step 3

While still selecting the shape, expand the selection by 3px (Select > Modify > Expand). Then create a new layer underneath the “shape 1″ layer and fill it with black (Alt+Backspace with black as your foreground color) and call the layer “shape 1 outline”.

The A Bordered

Step 4

Again while still selecting, Create another layer below “shape 1 outline” and fill it, this time with gray. While still selecting the shape, nudge while duplicating (Ctrl+Alt+Arrow keys) a couple of times until you get something pretty thick. It should be 20+. Keeping it selected should keep it from making new layers. There is many different style you can do depending on what arrow keys you press. Some examples of arrow keys combinations are:

• down and left
• down and right
• up and left
• up and right
• down
• up
• anything + transformation.

Usually if you are transforming, you’ll be transforming it into a trapezoid like shape. After nudging to your hearts content, fill it with gray again (Ctrl-click the new layer’s thumbail then press Alt+Backspace to fill) to make sure your faux 3d is clean. Then rename the layer “shape 1 faux 3d” for future references. For the tutorial I’ll be using down and left.

Variations of this step

Step 5

To add more to the 3d feel, let’s add shadows in the corners of the 3d shape. To do so, create a new layer above “shape 1 faux 3d” and create a clipping mask (Alt-click in between the two layer). Then use a nice black soft brush and brush over each of the corner/bends. Then set the layer’s opacity to 10%. Now for organization purpose let’s rename it “corner shadow”.

Add shadows to make it more convincing

Step 6

Ok, now to spice it up. Let’s create 2 gradient layer (Layer > New Fill Layer > Gradient…). Create one above the “shape 1 faux 3d” and one on top of “shape 1 outline”. Make sure the gradient layer is clipped to each one respectively. Also make sure that the “corner shadow” is above the gradient layer for “shape 1 faux 3d”. For the tutorial I created 2 gradient. a “red to yellow” for “shape 1 faux 3d” and an “orange, yellow, orange” for “shape 1 outline”.

Coloring it

Step 7

For this next step we’re going to need some thick diagonal patterns. You could get some here. Then after downloading a pattern create a new layer and clip it to “shape 1″ (Alt-Click in between the new layer and “shape 1″) and fill it with the pattern. Now lower the opacity of the layer to 50% and erase parts of it.

Coloring it

Step 8

Now lets create a new layer, select (Ctrl-click) “shape 1 faux 3d” and fill it with black (Alt+Backspace with black as your foreground). Then drag that layer below the “shape 1 faux 3d” and apply Gaussian blur (filter > Gaussian Blur) with the radius of 4px to create a shadow. Then lower the opacity of the layer to 50%

Adding some shadows

Step 9

I think the picture is coming a long pretty well don’t you think? Ok. Let’s do the same thing we did in step 8 except instead of filling it with black, fill it with a gradient between green (#BAFE00) and yellow (#FFFC00) and don’t gaussian blur it this time. Instead transform (Ctrl+T) it. Refer to the picture below.

Some more styling to liven it up

Step 10

Now create another shadow by doing the same thing you did in step 8 except do it to the green/yellow thing we created in the last step instead of the “shape 1 faux 3d” layer. Then set the layer’s opacity to 25%. Then transform (Ctrl+T) it. Again refer to the picture if you need to. The transformation will give the illusion that the shape is coming of the background.

Another shadow, but skewed

Step 11

Cool, now we’re basically done with the core. What we want to do now is to do the same thing with a couple more shape. When you are making more, don’t worry about the prespective of the picture. In fact make it out of whack for a more trippy look. Also put all the green/yellow together and their shadow together below them. Here is my result.

Do the previous technique to some more letters

Step 12

To add more pizzaz into the piece, we’re going to add some “glowing dots”, for a lack of better word. Create a new layer with the name “glowing dots” on top of everything and select a 3px brush with 0 hardness. Then press F5 on your keyboard which should bring up your brush settings. Set the scatter to 25% and Spacing to 150%. Now using black as your foreground color (so it’s easier to see what you’re doing) brush some around your shapes. Then set the layer to “Linear Dodge”. The dots should disappear but that’s OK, we’re going to fix that in the next step.

Ooh glowy!

Step 13

Now create a new gradient layer (Layer > New Fill Layer > Gradient…) on top of the glowing dots. Choose the “transparent rainbow” one and clip it (Alt-Click in between the two layer) to “glowing dots”. You should now have some cool glowing dots around your shapes.

Ooh glowy and color-riffic!

Step 14

Don’t you think the background is looking a bit dull? Let’s fix that. First of all we need to hide (tick the eye icon by the layer in the layer pallete) all the background layer (the gray and the white radial gradient). Then select all (Ctrl+A) and copy merged (Ctrl+Shift+C). This allows us to copy every object without a background. Now create a layer just on top of the white radial gradient and paste it (Ctrl+V). Then desaturate (Ctrl+Shift+U) and set the layer mode to “Soft Light”. Now set the layer’s opacity to 25%. Rotate it a bit. Do this a couple of times until you’re satisfied. And congratulations you’re done!

As easy as Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V

Conclusion

I hoped you enjoyed this tutorial as much as I enjoyed writing it. If it’s still too bland for you, you can add some sunburst and vignette like I did below. You might even want to go farther and wilder like i did in the second picture below! Share with us what you think below. And remember, be nice and safe during the holidays .

Simple

Complicated

It’s been a while since I posted here, I just wanted to remind you guys I’m still alive (by I I mean the blog)(yes I am alive as well too)! What better way to remind you that I am alive than reminding you there are many children out there still alive as well. Many more unfortunate and living on the edge of life.

In this season of giving, Tutorial9 is holding a contest to give back. And not just for the children, but you can also get something in return. They are holding a contest called “The Gift of Knowledge” held until February 1st 2009. So you still have plenty of time to enter.

What’s the give factor in all this? Tutorial9 will be giving $100 to a child in need for every entry. But that’s not all, you also have a chance of winning many fancy things. Including a Wacom Intuos 3 9×12/ a $500 value camera lens.

What’s that? It sounds great but I don’t know if I can write tutorials? Well you’re in luck, it doesn’t need to be one! You can enter resources, round ups and articles too. Or in general, anything that fits any of the topics at Tutorial9.

And remember this is a “community effort to raise money for the Save The Children Organization” so we need everyone! And if you’re a kind, gentle, nice, humble, cool, awesome, *good adjective* man, you can also sponsor a child for only $28/mo.

So what are you waiting for? Go go gadget give!

In their own words:

For Every Entry, $100 is Donated to a Child in Need.

When you participate in the “Gift of Knowledge Giveaway”, you’re making a difference in the lives of children around the world — you’re giving hope.

For every accepted entry in this giveaway, $100 will be donated to the “Save the Children” organization — the leading independent organization for creating lasting change in the lives of children around the world. Also, you win TONS of great prizes.

Our goal this year is to donate at least $5,000 to charity.

And prizes include:

• Wacom 9×12 Tablet or Choice of Camera Lens at $500 in value
• Two Premium Lynda.com Online Training Subscriptions
• Three 3-Month Subscriptions to WooThemes Premium Wordpress Themes
• Two 6-month Featured Seller Memberships on IncSpring
• Stationery, Comp Slip, Biz Card Package by Graham Smith, ImJustCreative
• Four Elite By Design Video Wordpress Themes
• Simple Please Wordpress Themes by Tutorial9
• 300 Premium Textures from the Colorburned Texture Shop
• 30 Premium Fonts from Bittbox.com
• One Mega Vector Pack, and Five other Vector Packs from Designious
• Premium UX Review from The UX Booth
• 600×100 Ad on Front page of Tutorial9
• Two Ad slots on Fuel Your Creativity
• One Month of Advertising on Designer Daily Graphic Design Blog
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